Pender County is pleased to announce the appointment of Rick J. Sauer, MPA, as the County’s first Director of Emergency Services. Sauer’s selection follows a competitive recruitment process and is a critical milestone as Pender County unifies Pender EMS and Fire, Penderlea Fire, Pender County Emergency Management, and the Pender County Fire Marshal’s Office under a single department. Sauer’s first day will be April 13, 2026.
Sauer joins Pender County from Sampson County, where he has served as Director of Emergency Services since 2021. There, he led a consolidated department encompassing Emergency Management, EMS, 911, GIS, and the Fire Marshal’s Office, a similar model to that which Pender County is adopting, overseeing approximately 100 employees and managing a $12.8 million budget. In Sampson County, Sauer identified more than $100,000 in cost savings in his first year, led the successful transition to a new $18.4 million Emergency Services facility, and developed a five-year strategic improvement plan for the department. He also strengthened recruitment and retention by implementing career ladders for 911 and EMS personnel and used data-driven analysis to justify 12 new positions needed to sustain critical service levels.
Before his work in North Carolina, Sauer served as Commissioner of the Sullivan County Division of Public Safety in New York, where he oversaw Fire, EMS, 911, Probation, and the Office of Emergency Management. He also brings nearly three decades of law enforcement experience with the New York State Police, rising to the rank of sergeant in the agency’s Emergency Management unit, where he served as a liaison across five counties in the Mid-Hudson region and commanded a 16-county regional hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction response team. He spent a similar amount of time in the fire service, having risen through the ranks of the Liberty Fire Department in New York from firefighter and EMT to fire chief, where he led a 75-member operation from 2014 to 2020.
As a member of both the North Carolina and New York State Incident Management Teams, Sauer’s disaster deployment record is extensive. Most recently, he served 30 days across three assignments during the Hurricane Helene response in western North Carolina. He has also deployed for Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Sandy, Irene, and Dorian, along with complex incidents including the COVID-19 response in New York and large-scale wildfire, flood, and search operations.
Sauer is also a nationally recognized instructor who holds a contract role with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has trained first responders in 21 states through partnerships with Texas A&M Extension, Louisiana State University, New Mexico Tech, and the National Fire Academy. He holds nine NFPA ProBoard certifications, including Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor II, and Hazardous Materials Operations, and is a credentialed Safety Officer, Resource Unit Leader, and Planning Section Chief.
Sauer holds a Master of Public Administration from Marist College and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from SUNY Brockport.
“Rick brings exactly the kind of leadership Pender County needs at this critical moment,” said Pender County Manager Colby W. Sawyer. “We set out to find someone who has not only managed the full spectrum of emergency services but has built and unified these operations under a single department. Rick has done precisely that. His depth of experience, from the fireground to the incident command post to the boardroom, and his commitment to developing teams and serving communities, will be invaluable as we stand up this new department and strengthen the safety and resilience of our growing coastal community.”
During his first weeks, Sauer looks forward to meeting with staff across every division, engaging with community stakeholders, and developing a transition plan that prioritizes continuity of service, team building, and a shared vision for the department’s future.